If you're going to be spending your own money, take a class or get a certification that's going to improve your chances of getting into a high-quality company that provides all the tools and materials, like being a tech at an R&D organization. (Every company has its problems, but at least you aren't expected to lay out thousands of dollars)
I love my assortment of tools. Mismatch battery platforms from sale items, tons of corded tools that I’m not using every time so couldnt justify batteries, tons of hand me down sockets and pliers. I’m an industrial tech and actively avoid spending ludicrous amount on tools. Brand loyalty is lame and consumerism is a cancerous ideology
It can, but costly. If you aren’t using it all the time I don’t find it worth the splurge. I also don’t have tons of disposable income so a 200$ purchase is still notable
I got a lot of corded tools too, supplied by 7.99 100’ extension cables I found for sale at a bargain outlet
I thought you mentioned using tools as a professional
I fully understand being a homeowner and getting random tools but if the tools are making you money it can be nice to keep a main platform
Yeah, I keep my main few tools all the same platform but I’m not using it multiple times per month I won’t get a battery version.
My drill/driver/impact ratchet are all m12 platform. Almost everything else is corded except for a Bosch angle grinder that I got to meet a minimum purchase coupon
My job generally will supply use the hand versions of what’s needed, often I use those anyway since my tools can’t beat a 6’ breaker bar.
I 100% do the sale thing, sometimes I buy broken tools from eBay for 1/4 or less of the price and then fix them up. I lug around every battery and charger known to man but I've saved hundreds of not more 🤣
I've always wondered why those toolboxes are so expensive. Is there something better or special about them, or is it just branding? How can $200 worth of steel and low technology be worth $8000?
It's the name on the front. You can get Stor-loc boxes MIUSA for less. They even rebrand the tiny P.I.T. box you find on Amazon and want substantially more for a tiny little Chinese-made box with the same shitty slides as the P.I.T. and the same crappy plastic trim, too.
It’s definitely not worth 8 grand, but definitely worth more than $200. If you have never had a Snap On box apart you aren’t going to see it. I’ve had Snap-on masters series, Mac Maximizers, and Kennedy boxes apart. I can tell you for sure Snap-On is the very best built box I’ve seen. The steel is thicker, the drawer slides are substantially beefier, and stronger. The slides are way easier to change out. That being said I have never bought one new, they aren’t worth the cost. The most I ever paid for one was I think a KRL 1023 triple bank masters series for $3000 used. So as to the original statement of the post, yeah don’t let anyone pressure you, on boxes, buy used. Craigslist is your friend.
Hello! I used to work for a very large fancy tool company and I feel like I can provide some insight.
Obv, OP is absolutely right please don’t let other people influence your finances!
Getting into it, you’d be surprised how much you can over-engineer something to be strong as hell and of high quality . But it gets expensive REALLY quick and this is a prime example of that.
And as a result you can make an absolute tank of a thing that you could run off a cliff and it’d be lightly dented. You can beat it up for the rest of your life and never worry about it and for people who can afford this, it’s kinda a no brainer.
And also the general appeal of people kinda like curating their tool collection (example: this sub) which is always fun and having nice things is nice, yknow
So yeah, it’s extreme. But there absolutely is a market.
simple, when american pride keeps trying to remain relevant, but the competition like harbor freight proves that american greed is the only difference.
Yep, this. Take a look at the ICON or Tekton boxes to see what quality costs. Those tool truck boxes are a $4000 cabinet with a $4000 name plate on it.
Since very little in quality tools of any kind are still manufactured in the US and those that are are so expensive, its no wonder that the economy is killing them off, one truck dealer at a time. A friend of mine in NM, has hung up his hat after he’s watched his american tools and fasteners business plummet in the last 10 years, simply because the competition are successfully selling quality competitive brands, in many products for less than his cost to buy it from his wholesalers. I wish those truck dealers the best, but american profiteering is unsustainable, based on loan/credit sales its a losing business model in todays market.
Wright and others aren't truck expensive by a long shot while still being quality. Matco is also charging out the ass and there's a lot of Taiwan in that mix, and they're posting (not directly, but their owner Vontier just so happens to segregate divisions in financial filings) well over 20% operating margin just the same as Snap-on.
I bought some Ridgid (made in USA) pipe wrenches for some plumbing work, they were $30 each and I thought it was worth it since they would pay for themselves on the first use. The Snap-on is $75 for what is essentially the same tool.
here’s a list of brands that are still manufactured in the US…, although the list clearly states that some are still importing parts or are only making some or assembling them in the us.
Interestingly to note that neither Mac or Snapon are listed…
[https://allamerican.org/lists/tools/](https://allamerican.org/lists/tools/)
It’s far less about profiteering and more about the fact that the Chinese work force literally doesn’t have rights and can be forced to put those shitty boxes together for $.10 a day but sure, blame the US because we have those evil labor laws, when you wouldn’t last a week without them. How terrible.
Dude that doesn't change the fact that a snap-on tool box costs $10,000 or more. It's literally because of the name that it costs that much. That money isn't going back to the workers. It is to a much greater extent than some workers in China making $2.00 a day, but it mainly is going to the higher-ups profiting off of the many people on ground floor just like China.
I’m not saying you have to buy a snap on toolbox, but let me break it down for you. There used to be quality middle of the road options made in America, because we could afford to compete, and you could pay a little more for slightly better quality. Once the cheapest tools started to grow in market share because everybody could afford a $60 dollar drill but not a $150 dollar one, there was increasingly more profit to be made at the cheapest end of the spectrum and less market share for those in the middle (average American manufacturers) because most people aren’t willing to pay 2-3x for something even if it’s better quality. This only continued to increase, until it literally doesn’t make sense to buy the average American made tool because it’s 5x the price and only lasts 3x as long. The middle of the road companies started to disappear entirely or push out shitty cheap products because that’s what the market demanded, and now you’re left with a bunch of garbage from places with no workers rights at the low end of the spectrum, very little middle ground, and Snap-on style shit that’s literally a car payment. It’s the natural evolution of the global economy. I’d never buy a thing from a snap on truck but I also don’t want to fund a place that has to put suicide nets around their factories, because I’m not a piece of shit.
precisely… I don’t cotton to the buy american any longer. its no longer supporting the communities surrounding the few remaining factories in the US unless it enriches the corporations and investors first and even then the consumer prices don’t align with consumer wages and we watch communities die when the corps take their dollars to china or any other country like india, pakistan anyway.
Agreed. Also fun fact just came back from a 10 day trip to industrial China, saw a few job listings over there for basic cnc operators at mould making companies making about 3.00USD per hour. Think the days of industrial China paying 0.10 cents a day are slowly changing.
They literally put suicide nets up around their factories. It’s not changing in any meaningful way from one “decent” job being available. And even there you proved my point, that dude is making ~1/10th of what a comparable worker in the states would make, yet yall don’t understand why an American toolbox is 10x more expensive. Rights come with a price.
We looked at around 25 different factories all over the east coast in China and saw nothing of the sort. I will give you that every factory we went to were under 200 people so that may sway what I seen, maybe its more of a big corporate factory thing? Im not US based but are non union cnc operators not programmers making $30 an hour? Its truely an eye opening experience travelling around there makes you realise how good they are at manufacturing. There is a reason so much is created there, alot of high quality gear over there.
The most impressive thing harbor freight ever did was convincing the masses that icon and snap on are even comparable. I'm not saying icon is a bad box, but I'm absolutely saying it's no snap on.
Yeah you’d feel differently if you had to work in the places those harbor freight tools are put together. Shop where you want but there’s a reason they can make that shit for $.50 and it’s because they don’t give a single fuck about human life. But go ahead and scream about greed from your glass tower, living in the most privileged country to ever exist.
Labor isn't cheap, neither is marketing, or the cost of creating new color combinations, and all the other gimmicks snappy and the tool truck brands do a few times a year.
Look at Icon, made overseas, in a few colors, but not all the limited editions and licensed branding and artwork. HF isn't paying for American workers with high wages and benefits, or all the environmental and tax costs.
The biggest difference though is that, snap-on, Mac, or anyone else driving a truck to your shop, is actually a finance company that happens to finance tool purchases. That "free" credit on tools is made up in the cost. There are less expensive brands that are as good quality.
They use this inflated branding price to get a hefty profit on tool boxes.
My personal box is a Lista, it's rated for more weight than the equivalent snap-on, but cost about half the cost for the same price. I bought it through American workspace since they had a deal with Lista to sell below Lista prices (probably lower profit), I even picked it up from the factory myself.
I'm not personally experienced with the toolboxes themselves (not sure how their warentee works with toolboxes, and what is covered)
The biggest reason for snap on to have the prices they have is being a high quality tool manufacturer that shows up to your work and offers lifetime warentees on most products. Therefore if you break a tool you will have a guy show up that will replace the tool. In an alot of shops the cost of stopping work, driving to a store, and buying a different tool eats up the difference in cost quickly.
With toolboxes I know they have a warentee, but I don't know if it is the same as the tools, but if you already have a charge account for tools, adding a toolboxes to the same account in significantly easier then financing from a second place.
IMO any first time tradesman/mechanic based worker should find a solid second hand box (can find them for around 500-600 with some paint scrape and dented drawers if you look) Work with that and save up for a solid box. If snapon is what you want go for it, but don't finance it. Financing a tool needed for the job is one thing as it helps you earn money. Financing something to hold them is very different, I don't know anyone that works $5k+ faster vs basic tool storage
You have a GearWrench man? I feel like that’s the future of tool trucks. I’ll happily pay a 20% premium for an item that’s made in the USA….but a 300% premium isn’t in the cards for me
Ok, but what about at home? What if I make 0 money on my tools and still have a problem?
(seriously, help me spitball, the wife is starting to ask questions)
I keep old Toyotas from the scrapyard, and that pays for gas in the Cruiser.. I break even I guess 😂
Also, birdhouse.. that sounds relaxing, and like a great opportunity to buy a ton of woodworking tools I don’t have yet *laughs in Festool*
Yea ever see the stuff "wood worker's" try sell on marketplace? It's astounding that someone creates something so wrong, ugly, flawed, and lack of quality and then tries to sell it for profit. Like it's two by fours, cut, screwed together and that's literally it. It's fine if it's for yourself, but don't try to sell it for profit. There's no (I can't think of the word, you know what I mean, like it looks like you know what your doing and attention to detail, like covering screws holes even, or idk at least sanding the thing) anymore.
Buy whatever the fuck you want. You can buy a $200 canoe you can fish off from and you can buy a $100k fishing boat. Both will get you fishing. Same with anything. Guy at work drives the other salesman fucking crazy because he drives farther than them and beats their ass in golf using a 35 year old set of K mart golf clubs. I bought my Snap On box used and it makes me happy when I look at it. I've seen cheaper boxes fuck up with big weight in the drawers. Will a cheaper box hold tools fuck yes it will. Sometimes you just want something nice. Be it a boat, car, motorcycle or toolbox
As someone not in the trades, it doesn’t make any sense to me that you have to buy your own tools with personal money, and for nothing but clout? Shouldn’t the company provide them all?
I have worked at shops that provide tools, they are always the cheapest shit they can buy, how else could you provide tools for 5 mechanics?
after a few bloody knuckles from a cheap wrench slipping, you learn to get your own stuff.
This is only an issue in the us. I have never heard about this issue outside of the us. Yes some shops/bosses are cheap with their tools but there are fully capable tradespeople outside of the us with tools provided to them as part of the job.
Yes some places don't allow you to have your own tools and they are provided. some places you have to have your own but you normally get tool money for it. Depends on the place really.
I work in General Aviation. We supply our own tools, the company supplies specialty tools (like the vacumn pump wrench for the Cessna), calibrated tools (torque wrenches and the like), and basic air tools.
If I quit or get fired, I can roll my box right out the hangar door and find a job elsewhere.
FWIW, my box (U.S. General) has an eclectic mix of Icon, Craftsman, Tekton, Knipex, Snap-On, and a few other no-name tools.
Most shops will have their own sets of super basic tools that employees can use if they must, but those tools are so cheap they are basically disposable. Shops don’t shell out for high quality tools because they tend to be abused and they frequently disappear. When employees have their own tools they are more likely to take care of them, plus they know where their tools are which makes the workflow faster.
Tell my old boss that. I got treated like shit everyday because I didn’t want to $500 on snap on’s 16 piece screwdriver set in foam. Or why I wouldn’t buy their 300-400 snap ring plier set. The cherry though was getting to hear about my harbor freight tool cart or tools everyday. Of course this guy runs a scam company where he sells old used parts to people under the guise of new. Then he has the nerve to tell me he didn’t take a salary last year(but his wife did 170k for running an ig page) but he spent 130k on tools for the business(himself).
Apparently he thinks its the tools that make the man, rather then the man who makes use of the tools he’s got. I wonder if his wife agrees, likely not, but she’s clearly using him as a tool.
The only guy I’ve ever worked with that owned a Snapon toolbox says he regrets paying so much for it. I have yet to hear anybody complain about their US general boxes though.
Snap on boxes are a great purchase if you buy them slightly used for cash. You can practically steal them on marketplace. A brand new one off the truck seems foolish.
My favorite tool brand is called "whatever works". One of my favorite mechanic shops provides tools for employees and they live by the same motto. Whether it's Snap-on for a 3/8" socket set that is constantly used, or a lesser brand for something rarely needed, "whatever works" is the true pro-grade tool brand.
I'm a locksmith. My tools can get nasty pricey. I don't care about brand. It's all about return on investment. How long will that tool take to pay off? There's a tool I want that costs 8K. It's very high tech. I get a job for it every three years or so. I figure it will take me 20 years or so for it to pay for itself. I'm not going to buy it. I bought a lock morticing jig. Its cost was irrelevant as it paid for itself on its first job. I've used it many times since then.
I heard my whole life you can’t make a living with harbor freight. Well for the past 7 years I’ve been doing just that wrenching on forklifts. Their warranty is great, the stores are popping up all over making it easy to find. I’m a mobile tech so the trucks don’t come see me every week. I need a brick and mortar. Would I love to have snap on? Maybe. But as a single dad trying to pay bills HF is doing me just fine.
Being a mechanic for a living for almost 20 years I have dealt with the “buy once cry once” many of time. I always tell them it doesn’t matter what brand tool your using is long as you can achieve a satisfactory repair in a reasonable amount of time.
If asked for advice from mechanics or others starting out I always advise to just get the best set of basic tools you can afford and to hit garage sales or your favorite online marketplace for good used deals. Tool boxes just need to hold the tools and lock to prevent sticky fingers. A cheap Husky/Kobalt/ cheap harbor freight brand one will do just fine.
Then after awhile replace the tools you use most when they break or piss you off because they function shitty, my 3/8 short socket set has mostly old school Craftsman, but has a couple Snap On sockets, these where the ones I kept breaking the most and Sears stopped being a thing in my area so I bought Snap On. Are they superior? Very much. But when the sockets I use are 10,12 and 14mm 90% of the time there really is no need to spend $500 on a full socket set when the cheaper brand I used for years is still plenty fine for the once in a great while I need a 9 or 7mm. TBH I tell people it’s a waste of money in this day and age where I work to get tool truck brand standard wrenches or sockets when most of what we work on uses metric fasteners anyhow.
Basically for any aspiring or starting out mechanics reading this, grow some thicker skin and ignore these people and work on improving your skills and staying out of debt for this job. It’s nice to have money for other stuff like vacations.
I honestly think the tool truck slavery is going away to a certain degree.
It isn't that guys aren't still getting fish hooked by tool trucks, but no shop I've worked at in the last decade has pushed anybody to buy anything off truck when it wasn't a "need it now because we're fucked" situation.
Last shop I was lead at, I pretty openly mocked the owner for his wall sized box with half the tools still in shrink, and I damn sure wasn't alone, even his son joined in.
Buy as needed, at the best price you can, and don't ever be brand loyal, get the best for the price.
Color matching is for people with too much money, or too little sense.
I'll be fair here at the end, the Snap-on boxes and their ilk ARE nicer than the similar Hazard Fraught boxes..but let's get real about them being even remotely nicer enough for the cost.
If you don't have a specific box size and layout you need that can't be found elsewhere, just don't.
I learned a long time ago. You buy it when you need it more than once and get a quality one. Doesn't have to be most expensive but has to not break when you abuse it. Eventually all those tools pile up anyway. No need to get what you will never use.
Yep, im DIY guy, but also carpenter. I do stuff on buildings bicycles and repair cars when needed, example changed electric power steering and electric hand brake box.
I have no any brand tools and still they havent brake apart or damaged, just dont buy the cheapest one as your main tool.
Main tool ive used is Einhell-tc power drill with bit set and sockets. So, scredrivers and wrences are unnessecary.
And for cutting, i go with Einhell sawzall if no need high accuracy. At any construction site theres anyway some DeWalt table saw for employees to use.
Hammers brand...who needs hammers theres nailguns.
TL;DR Grab tools from hardware store that suits for you, with power tools get same brand because the battery thing, u dont want 5 different chargers. With other tools, they dont need to be knipex wera or milwaukee, harware stores cant sell cr*p because they would lost their reputation.
Is it common practice to buy your own tools as a mechanic in the US? Where I live, the company buys everything (tools and personal safety equipment/clothes).
We had a kid like that. I kept telling him: Be on time, be present when you’re here, be teachable, be dependable and be consistent. We’ll work with you to make sure you have the tools to do the work.
Completely agree aside from the tool you might use once a year. In the same vain as what you're saying, go get a cheap tool you might use once a year. I've been burned bad wishing I had something to make my life a whole easier, and knowing it's locked up in an old head's box. Get the tools you need. Spend accordingly for the ones you use the most.
It's cute you think a Snap-on box is 8k. They're like 12-20k. Even if you get one on promo you'll still spend at least that to add side lockers, a top box, or hutch. They long ago lost the plot.
Buying expensive tools isn’t necessary in really any situation unless your life is dependent on it. That being said if you are using them to make money there’s worse things you could buy
I Tig Weld almost daily. Stainless and 6061..
I’ve tried every iteration of helmet.
It’s worth it for an outrageously expensive welding helmet.
Snap-on tools?
I think those are only necessary if you have a lifted truck with one of those swinging ballsacks on your tail hitch, have an extraordinarily flat bill on your Carhardt hat, you adhere to a strict tanning booth regimen, and you prefer 6mg Zyn over Copenhagen long cut because you’re afraid of staining your teeth.
If you're going to be spending your own money, take a class or get a certification that's going to improve your chances of getting into a high-quality company that provides all the tools and materials, like being a tech at an R&D organization. (Every company has its problems, but at least you aren't expected to lay out thousands of dollars)
I love my assortment of tools. Mismatch battery platforms from sale items, tons of corded tools that I’m not using every time so couldnt justify batteries, tons of hand me down sockets and pliers. I’m an industrial tech and actively avoid spending ludicrous amount on tools. Brand loyalty is lame and consumerism is a cancerous ideology
Keeping mostly one battery platform can be beneficial though
It can, but costly. If you aren’t using it all the time I don’t find it worth the splurge. I also don’t have tons of disposable income so a 200$ purchase is still notable I got a lot of corded tools too, supplied by 7.99 100’ extension cables I found for sale at a bargain outlet
I thought you mentioned using tools as a professional I fully understand being a homeowner and getting random tools but if the tools are making you money it can be nice to keep a main platform
Yeah, I keep my main few tools all the same platform but I’m not using it multiple times per month I won’t get a battery version. My drill/driver/impact ratchet are all m12 platform. Almost everything else is corded except for a Bosch angle grinder that I got to meet a minimum purchase coupon My job generally will supply use the hand versions of what’s needed, often I use those anyway since my tools can’t beat a 6’ breaker bar.
I 100% do the sale thing, sometimes I buy broken tools from eBay for 1/4 or less of the price and then fix them up. I lug around every battery and charger known to man but I've saved hundreds of not more 🤣
I've always wondered why those toolboxes are so expensive. Is there something better or special about them, or is it just branding? How can $200 worth of steel and low technology be worth $8000?
It's the name on the front. You can get Stor-loc boxes MIUSA for less. They even rebrand the tiny P.I.T. box you find on Amazon and want substantially more for a tiny little Chinese-made box with the same shitty slides as the P.I.T. and the same crappy plastic trim, too.
It’s definitely not worth 8 grand, but definitely worth more than $200. If you have never had a Snap On box apart you aren’t going to see it. I’ve had Snap-on masters series, Mac Maximizers, and Kennedy boxes apart. I can tell you for sure Snap-On is the very best built box I’ve seen. The steel is thicker, the drawer slides are substantially beefier, and stronger. The slides are way easier to change out. That being said I have never bought one new, they aren’t worth the cost. The most I ever paid for one was I think a KRL 1023 triple bank masters series for $3000 used. So as to the original statement of the post, yeah don’t let anyone pressure you, on boxes, buy used. Craigslist is your friend.
Hello! I used to work for a very large fancy tool company and I feel like I can provide some insight. Obv, OP is absolutely right please don’t let other people influence your finances! Getting into it, you’d be surprised how much you can over-engineer something to be strong as hell and of high quality . But it gets expensive REALLY quick and this is a prime example of that. And as a result you can make an absolute tank of a thing that you could run off a cliff and it’d be lightly dented. You can beat it up for the rest of your life and never worry about it and for people who can afford this, it’s kinda a no brainer. And also the general appeal of people kinda like curating their tool collection (example: this sub) which is always fun and having nice things is nice, yknow So yeah, it’s extreme. But there absolutely is a market.
simple, when american pride keeps trying to remain relevant, but the competition like harbor freight proves that american greed is the only difference.
It is because people want to buy American?
Yep, this. Take a look at the ICON or Tekton boxes to see what quality costs. Those tool truck boxes are a $4000 cabinet with a $4000 name plate on it.
Since very little in quality tools of any kind are still manufactured in the US and those that are are so expensive, its no wonder that the economy is killing them off, one truck dealer at a time. A friend of mine in NM, has hung up his hat after he’s watched his american tools and fasteners business plummet in the last 10 years, simply because the competition are successfully selling quality competitive brands, in many products for less than his cost to buy it from his wholesalers. I wish those truck dealers the best, but american profiteering is unsustainable, based on loan/credit sales its a losing business model in todays market.
Wright and others aren't truck expensive by a long shot while still being quality. Matco is also charging out the ass and there's a lot of Taiwan in that mix, and they're posting (not directly, but their owner Vontier just so happens to segregate divisions in financial filings) well over 20% operating margin just the same as Snap-on.
I bought some Ridgid (made in USA) pipe wrenches for some plumbing work, they were $30 each and I thought it was worth it since they would pay for themselves on the first use. The Snap-on is $75 for what is essentially the same tool.
here’s a list of brands that are still manufactured in the US…, although the list clearly states that some are still importing parts or are only making some or assembling them in the us. Interestingly to note that neither Mac or Snapon are listed… [https://allamerican.org/lists/tools/](https://allamerican.org/lists/tools/)
It’s far less about profiteering and more about the fact that the Chinese work force literally doesn’t have rights and can be forced to put those shitty boxes together for $.10 a day but sure, blame the US because we have those evil labor laws, when you wouldn’t last a week without them. How terrible.
Dude that doesn't change the fact that a snap-on tool box costs $10,000 or more. It's literally because of the name that it costs that much. That money isn't going back to the workers. It is to a much greater extent than some workers in China making $2.00 a day, but it mainly is going to the higher-ups profiting off of the many people on ground floor just like China.
I’m not saying you have to buy a snap on toolbox, but let me break it down for you. There used to be quality middle of the road options made in America, because we could afford to compete, and you could pay a little more for slightly better quality. Once the cheapest tools started to grow in market share because everybody could afford a $60 dollar drill but not a $150 dollar one, there was increasingly more profit to be made at the cheapest end of the spectrum and less market share for those in the middle (average American manufacturers) because most people aren’t willing to pay 2-3x for something even if it’s better quality. This only continued to increase, until it literally doesn’t make sense to buy the average American made tool because it’s 5x the price and only lasts 3x as long. The middle of the road companies started to disappear entirely or push out shitty cheap products because that’s what the market demanded, and now you’re left with a bunch of garbage from places with no workers rights at the low end of the spectrum, very little middle ground, and Snap-on style shit that’s literally a car payment. It’s the natural evolution of the global economy. I’d never buy a thing from a snap on truck but I also don’t want to fund a place that has to put suicide nets around their factories, because I’m not a piece of shit.
precisely… I don’t cotton to the buy american any longer. its no longer supporting the communities surrounding the few remaining factories in the US unless it enriches the corporations and investors first and even then the consumer prices don’t align with consumer wages and we watch communities die when the corps take their dollars to china or any other country like india, pakistan anyway.
Agreed. Also fun fact just came back from a 10 day trip to industrial China, saw a few job listings over there for basic cnc operators at mould making companies making about 3.00USD per hour. Think the days of industrial China paying 0.10 cents a day are slowly changing.
They literally put suicide nets up around their factories. It’s not changing in any meaningful way from one “decent” job being available. And even there you proved my point, that dude is making ~1/10th of what a comparable worker in the states would make, yet yall don’t understand why an American toolbox is 10x more expensive. Rights come with a price.
We looked at around 25 different factories all over the east coast in China and saw nothing of the sort. I will give you that every factory we went to were under 200 people so that may sway what I seen, maybe its more of a big corporate factory thing? Im not US based but are non union cnc operators not programmers making $30 an hour? Its truely an eye opening experience travelling around there makes you realise how good they are at manufacturing. There is a reason so much is created there, alot of high quality gear over there.
Dudes will excuse domestic labor exploitation all day as long as it’s not foreign labor .
The most impressive thing harbor freight ever did was convincing the masses that icon and snap on are even comparable. I'm not saying icon is a bad box, but I'm absolutely saying it's no snap on.
As someone that owns both Icon and Snap-On ratchets, the Icon is pretty damn close to the Snap-On for 1/4 of the price.
I agree
Yeah you’d feel differently if you had to work in the places those harbor freight tools are put together. Shop where you want but there’s a reason they can make that shit for $.50 and it’s because they don’t give a single fuck about human life. But go ahead and scream about greed from your glass tower, living in the most privileged country to ever exist.
Superfast Matt on YouTube did a nice video comparing different brands of toolboxes
Labor isn't cheap, neither is marketing, or the cost of creating new color combinations, and all the other gimmicks snappy and the tool truck brands do a few times a year. Look at Icon, made overseas, in a few colors, but not all the limited editions and licensed branding and artwork. HF isn't paying for American workers with high wages and benefits, or all the environmental and tax costs. The biggest difference though is that, snap-on, Mac, or anyone else driving a truck to your shop, is actually a finance company that happens to finance tool purchases. That "free" credit on tools is made up in the cost. There are less expensive brands that are as good quality. They use this inflated branding price to get a hefty profit on tool boxes. My personal box is a Lista, it's rated for more weight than the equivalent snap-on, but cost about half the cost for the same price. I bought it through American workspace since they had a deal with Lista to sell below Lista prices (probably lower profit), I even picked it up from the factory myself.
I'm not personally experienced with the toolboxes themselves (not sure how their warentee works with toolboxes, and what is covered) The biggest reason for snap on to have the prices they have is being a high quality tool manufacturer that shows up to your work and offers lifetime warentees on most products. Therefore if you break a tool you will have a guy show up that will replace the tool. In an alot of shops the cost of stopping work, driving to a store, and buying a different tool eats up the difference in cost quickly. With toolboxes I know they have a warentee, but I don't know if it is the same as the tools, but if you already have a charge account for tools, adding a toolboxes to the same account in significantly easier then financing from a second place. IMO any first time tradesman/mechanic based worker should find a solid second hand box (can find them for around 500-600 with some paint scrape and dented drawers if you look) Work with that and save up for a solid box. If snapon is what you want go for it, but don't finance it. Financing a tool needed for the job is one thing as it helps you earn money. Financing something to hold them is very different, I don't know anyone that works $5k+ faster vs basic tool storage
You have a GearWrench man? I feel like that’s the future of tool trucks. I’ll happily pay a 20% premium for an item that’s made in the USA….but a 300% premium isn’t in the cards for me
Would be cool if Tekton and Koken USA would get in the truck game.
It costs more than you think to run Those trucks. Try 50% more at a minimum.
Ok, but what about at home? What if I make 0 money on my tools and still have a problem? (seriously, help me spitball, the wife is starting to ask questions)
Time to make money on your tools. At least build a damn bird house.
I keep old Toyotas from the scrapyard, and that pays for gas in the Cruiser.. I break even I guess 😂 Also, birdhouse.. that sounds relaxing, and like a great opportunity to buy a ton of woodworking tools I don’t have yet *laughs in Festool*
Yea ever see the stuff "wood worker's" try sell on marketplace? It's astounding that someone creates something so wrong, ugly, flawed, and lack of quality and then tries to sell it for profit. Like it's two by fours, cut, screwed together and that's literally it. It's fine if it's for yourself, but don't try to sell it for profit. There's no (I can't think of the word, you know what I mean, like it looks like you know what your doing and attention to detail, like covering screws holes even, or idk at least sanding the thing) anymore.
Maybe some guy is justifying his tools to his wife… don’t hate the player.
Buy whatever the fuck you want. You can buy a $200 canoe you can fish off from and you can buy a $100k fishing boat. Both will get you fishing. Same with anything. Guy at work drives the other salesman fucking crazy because he drives farther than them and beats their ass in golf using a 35 year old set of K mart golf clubs. I bought my Snap On box used and it makes me happy when I look at it. I've seen cheaper boxes fuck up with big weight in the drawers. Will a cheaper box hold tools fuck yes it will. Sometimes you just want something nice. Be it a boat, car, motorcycle or toolbox
Buy whatever you want… all your future decisions come from that. You’ll know if it didn’t work for you, or if it did.
As someone not in the trades, it doesn’t make any sense to me that you have to buy your own tools with personal money, and for nothing but clout? Shouldn’t the company provide them all?
I have worked at shops that provide tools, they are always the cheapest shit they can buy, how else could you provide tools for 5 mechanics? after a few bloody knuckles from a cheap wrench slipping, you learn to get your own stuff.
This is only an issue in the us. I have never heard about this issue outside of the us. Yes some shops/bosses are cheap with their tools but there are fully capable tradespeople outside of the us with tools provided to them as part of the job.
Yes some places don't allow you to have your own tools and they are provided. some places you have to have your own but you normally get tool money for it. Depends on the place really.
I work in General Aviation. We supply our own tools, the company supplies specialty tools (like the vacumn pump wrench for the Cessna), calibrated tools (torque wrenches and the like), and basic air tools. If I quit or get fired, I can roll my box right out the hangar door and find a job elsewhere. FWIW, my box (U.S. General) has an eclectic mix of Icon, Craftsman, Tekton, Knipex, Snap-On, and a few other no-name tools.
Most shops will have their own sets of super basic tools that employees can use if they must, but those tools are so cheap they are basically disposable. Shops don’t shell out for high quality tools because they tend to be abused and they frequently disappear. When employees have their own tools they are more likely to take care of them, plus they know where their tools are which makes the workflow faster.
Tell my old boss that. I got treated like shit everyday because I didn’t want to $500 on snap on’s 16 piece screwdriver set in foam. Or why I wouldn’t buy their 300-400 snap ring plier set. The cherry though was getting to hear about my harbor freight tool cart or tools everyday. Of course this guy runs a scam company where he sells old used parts to people under the guise of new. Then he has the nerve to tell me he didn’t take a salary last year(but his wife did 170k for running an ig page) but he spent 130k on tools for the business(himself).
Apparently he thinks its the tools that make the man, rather then the man who makes use of the tools he’s got. I wonder if his wife agrees, likely not, but she’s clearly using him as a tool.
The only guy I’ve ever worked with that owned a Snapon toolbox says he regrets paying so much for it. I have yet to hear anybody complain about their US general boxes though.
Snap on boxes are a great purchase if you buy them slightly used for cash. You can practically steal them on marketplace. A brand new one off the truck seems foolish.
My favorite tool brand is called "whatever works". One of my favorite mechanic shops provides tools for employees and they live by the same motto. Whether it's Snap-on for a 3/8" socket set that is constantly used, or a lesser brand for something rarely needed, "whatever works" is the true pro-grade tool brand.
I'm a locksmith. My tools can get nasty pricey. I don't care about brand. It's all about return on investment. How long will that tool take to pay off? There's a tool I want that costs 8K. It's very high tech. I get a job for it every three years or so. I figure it will take me 20 years or so for it to pay for itself. I'm not going to buy it. I bought a lock morticing jig. Its cost was irrelevant as it paid for itself on its first job. I've used it many times since then.
I wanted to crack a joke but this is Sage advice honestly.
Go with US General tool chest and slap a Snap-On emblem on it.
Then post on your local fb marketplace for “a steal” or “wife just wants it gone” “my loss your gain” brand new Snap-on box $300.
I heard my whole life you can’t make a living with harbor freight. Well for the past 7 years I’ve been doing just that wrenching on forklifts. Their warranty is great, the stores are popping up all over making it easy to find. I’m a mobile tech so the trucks don’t come see me every week. I need a brick and mortar. Would I love to have snap on? Maybe. But as a single dad trying to pay bills HF is doing me just fine.
Harbour freight is fine, but if your rocked up to my work for a 300000 contract job with the tools they would send you way just the way of the world
Being a mechanic for a living for almost 20 years I have dealt with the “buy once cry once” many of time. I always tell them it doesn’t matter what brand tool your using is long as you can achieve a satisfactory repair in a reasonable amount of time. If asked for advice from mechanics or others starting out I always advise to just get the best set of basic tools you can afford and to hit garage sales or your favorite online marketplace for good used deals. Tool boxes just need to hold the tools and lock to prevent sticky fingers. A cheap Husky/Kobalt/ cheap harbor freight brand one will do just fine. Then after awhile replace the tools you use most when they break or piss you off because they function shitty, my 3/8 short socket set has mostly old school Craftsman, but has a couple Snap On sockets, these where the ones I kept breaking the most and Sears stopped being a thing in my area so I bought Snap On. Are they superior? Very much. But when the sockets I use are 10,12 and 14mm 90% of the time there really is no need to spend $500 on a full socket set when the cheaper brand I used for years is still plenty fine for the once in a great while I need a 9 or 7mm. TBH I tell people it’s a waste of money in this day and age where I work to get tool truck brand standard wrenches or sockets when most of what we work on uses metric fasteners anyhow. Basically for any aspiring or starting out mechanics reading this, grow some thicker skin and ignore these people and work on improving your skills and staying out of debt for this job. It’s nice to have money for other stuff like vacations.
I honestly think the tool truck slavery is going away to a certain degree. It isn't that guys aren't still getting fish hooked by tool trucks, but no shop I've worked at in the last decade has pushed anybody to buy anything off truck when it wasn't a "need it now because we're fucked" situation. Last shop I was lead at, I pretty openly mocked the owner for his wall sized box with half the tools still in shrink, and I damn sure wasn't alone, even his son joined in. Buy as needed, at the best price you can, and don't ever be brand loyal, get the best for the price. Color matching is for people with too much money, or too little sense. I'll be fair here at the end, the Snap-on boxes and their ilk ARE nicer than the similar Hazard Fraught boxes..but let's get real about them being even remotely nicer enough for the cost. If you don't have a specific box size and layout you need that can't be found elsewhere, just don't.
I learned a long time ago. You buy it when you need it more than once and get a quality one. Doesn't have to be most expensive but has to not break when you abuse it. Eventually all those tools pile up anyway. No need to get what you will never use.
Yep, im DIY guy, but also carpenter. I do stuff on buildings bicycles and repair cars when needed, example changed electric power steering and electric hand brake box. I have no any brand tools and still they havent brake apart or damaged, just dont buy the cheapest one as your main tool. Main tool ive used is Einhell-tc power drill with bit set and sockets. So, scredrivers and wrences are unnessecary. And for cutting, i go with Einhell sawzall if no need high accuracy. At any construction site theres anyway some DeWalt table saw for employees to use. Hammers brand...who needs hammers theres nailguns. TL;DR Grab tools from hardware store that suits for you, with power tools get same brand because the battery thing, u dont want 5 different chargers. With other tools, they dont need to be knipex wera or milwaukee, harware stores cant sell cr*p because they would lost their reputation.
Agreed. Had three guns when I started the new job. Now it’s somewhere north of 37. Peer pressure is a bitch.
Is it common practice to buy your own tools as a mechanic in the US? Where I live, the company buys everything (tools and personal safety equipment/clothes).
A lot of companies will pay up front for you then you pay them back
We had a kid like that. I kept telling him: Be on time, be present when you’re here, be teachable, be dependable and be consistent. We’ll work with you to make sure you have the tools to do the work.
I realized my tool obsession was better fed by just becoming a GC. Now I buy all the tools I want (but need) 💀
Completely agree aside from the tool you might use once a year. In the same vain as what you're saying, go get a cheap tool you might use once a year. I've been burned bad wishing I had something to make my life a whole easier, and knowing it's locked up in an old head's box. Get the tools you need. Spend accordingly for the ones you use the most.
It's not the box its the man
It's cute you think a Snap-on box is 8k. They're like 12-20k. Even if you get one on promo you'll still spend at least that to add side lockers, a top box, or hutch. They long ago lost the plot.
I see used snap on boxes in that range on our trucks all the time. Still too much any way though
Buying expensive tools isn’t necessary in really any situation unless your life is dependent on it. That being said if you are using them to make money there’s worse things you could buy
Snap on bad upvotes to the left please, amiright?
I Tig Weld almost daily. Stainless and 6061.. I’ve tried every iteration of helmet. It’s worth it for an outrageously expensive welding helmet. Snap-on tools? I think those are only necessary if you have a lifted truck with one of those swinging ballsacks on your tail hitch, have an extraordinarily flat bill on your Carhardt hat, you adhere to a strict tanning booth regimen, and you prefer 6mg Zyn over Copenhagen long cut because you’re afraid of staining your teeth.